THIS FIAT JUST ISN'T PLAYING BY THE SAME RULES

+ Click to Enlarge NOT PLAYING BY THE RULES: The new and improved Fiat Grande Punto isn't playing by the same under-achieving rules as other Fiats.

April 3, 2009
By Jesse Adams

Take a look at the nose cone of Ferrari's latest F1 car and you'll see that the yellow prancing horse badge takes a back seat to the prominent Fiat logo above it.

Is this simply because Ferrari is owned by Fiat? Or is it because the Italian bigwigs know they need supercar-sized tailcoats on which the often ill-reputed brand can steal a ride?

I've been less than impressed with Fiats of late. The Palio is up to snuff with Chinese competition as far as rough plastic edges and panel gaps go and the Brazilian Uno invented its own build-quality standard one step below a Happy Meal toy.

I don't mean to be too abrupt but they were taking the mickey out of their "Italian" heritage and taking their customers along for a ride as they did it.

But hold on a minute... This car, the new and improved Grande Punto, isn't playing by the same underachieving rules. It's like the designers, factory workers and Italian bigwigs woke up one day with a sudden rush of inspiration and decided to build a small Italian car the right way.

Its exterior, while slightly flavourless, is neat and tidy with a touch of Maserati essence in the snout.

Italian flair can sometimes be over-the-top, as anyone who's seen a 10-grand pair of Gucci shades complete with diamond-encrusted frames and Putco bus windscreen-sized lenses can vouch for. Fiat Multipla anyone? But none of that nonsense here.

The Grande Punto is less sun-dried tomato bruschetta and more Margherita pizza.

It gets better inside. Where its Palio counterpart makes use of plastic from the cheapest and nastiest supplier available, this car's interior materials seem to be ordered from a space-exploration catalogue. Seriously.

The fascia is covered with this magnificent substance that I can't compare to anything except what I'd imagine ET's duvet cover might be made of. It's very high quality and not what you'd expect from Fiat, given recent let-downs.

That said, the seat coverings are a bit naff. Our test car's seats looked like they were designed by Scuba Steve with three different shades of blue, stitched together in what is best described as a shark's-gill pattern. Perhaps a few too many double espressos that day.

All of that's forgotten once on the road as the Grande Punto fitted, as this one was, with a 1.4-litre T-Jet is very enthusiastic in the way it bops along.

IT FILLS A NICHE

Fiat calls the 88kW/206Nm turbo "fizzy" and I'm with them on that. Not "spritely" like a 74kW Panda 100HP, and not "exuberant" like a 110kW Bravo T-Jet. Just "fizzy" in an effervescent, just-enough-juice-to-wheelspin-if-I-feel-like-it kinda way.

This model fills a nice little sub-R200 000 performance turbo niche in the market that I'm surprised no other manufacturer has cottoned on to. In fact, the only other turbo car in this range that I can think of is a Smart ForTwo and that's in no way a performance model.

Take a look at the list of rivals listed below and you'll see plenty of similarly powered cars with similar prices, but no turbo. Need I remind you of the roughly 18 percent power deficit for normal fuel-injected motors at altitude, all ye Gauteng-based readers?

It's by no means a pull-your-eyelids-back boost but it does offer a sweet little whoosh once the revs approach 3000rpm. I was pleasantly surprised, especially for a measly 88kW.

EXTENSIVE FEATURES

Gears click nicely into place without that Uno or Palio-like porridge-stirring action and the doors shut with a solid thud; also rare in anything Fiat.

The T-Jet's specification list is also very extensive with standard features such as steering-wheel audio controls, hill-holding brakes, six crash bags and aircon.

A little bit extra will buy you niceties such as cruise control, an up-rated sound system with a sub-woofer and dual-zone aircon.

It's a fantastic package.

Verdict

I'm impressed by this Fiat. For some years owning a Fiat said you didn't frequent motoring-circle banter, that you were on a shoestring budget. Not the best combination, especially as you're reading this part of the paper.

The Grande Punto T-Jet is a car I'd easily recommend to a friend looking for "fizzy" performance and a comprehensive spec list at a reasonable price.

Build quality is terrific, especially for Fiat, and the pep underfoot is enough to keep you smiling all the way to the launch pad.

GRANDE PUNTO SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE
Cylinders: 4.
Capacity: 1368cc.
Fuel system: Fuel-injection with turbocharger.
Max power/torque: 88kW at 5000rpm/206Nm at 2000rpm.
TRANSMISSION
Type: Five-speed manual gearbox; front-wheel drive.
SUSPENSION
Front/rear: McPherson strut with stabiliser bar / Torsion beam with torsion bar.
STEERING
Type: Power-assisted rack-and-pinion.
Steering-column adjustment: Height and reach.
BRAKES
Front/rear: Discs, ventilated at front, with anti-lock and stability control system.
WHEELS/TYRES
Rims: 15" spoked alloy.
Tyres: 185/65 radials.
DIMENSIONS/WEIGHT
Length: 4030mm.
Width: 1687mm.
Height: 1490mm.
Mass: 1170kg.
FUEL TANK/CONSUMPTION
45 litres/6.6 litres/100km.
TOP SPEED
195km/h (Gauteng altitude).
ACCELERATION
0-100km/h: 10.2sec (Gauteng altitude).
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
Remote central locking, trip data computer, air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors, multifunction steering wheel, six-speaker sound system,.
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
Six crash bags, hill hold, electronic stability programme with dynamic traction control, hydraulic brake assist.
MANUFACTURER SUPPORT
Three-year or 100 000km warranty, five-year or 90 000km service plan.
SERVICE INTERVALS
30 000km.
PRICE
R183 600.
RIVALS
R159 320 - Chevrolet Aveo 1.6LT five-door (77kW and 145Nm)
R169 995 - Kia Rio 1.6 Sport five-door (82kW and 146Nm)
R173 500 - Renault Clio 3 1.6 Dynamique five-door (83kW and 151Nm)
R179 130 - Ford Fiesta 1.6i Titanium five-door (88kW and 149Nm)
R185 350 - Peugeot 207 1.6 XS five-door (80kW and 147Nm)
R195 600 - VW Polo 2.0 Highline (85kW and 170Nm)